I am in USA. I am not sure how I landed here , but here's my story. I was diagnosed hypothyroid 12 years ago. I have Hashimotos also. The struggle to lose weight has been very depressing! I have been on NDT. My Dr told me of a reverse t3 test where if it is high it can Inhibit t3 from activity in the cells. So my Dr reduced the t4 combo med armour and added cytomel. I feel better but have a bad left knee and can't exercise now. I also discovered there was an NIH study that certain nsaids interfere with t3 transport and I had been on diclofenec for a long time for my knee.. Of the nsaids tested ibuprofen was the only one that didn't interfere with thyroid hormone transport. It has felt like I have had one thing after another sabotage my efforts. Plus the fact that Hashimotos Hypothyroid patients should not eat goitrogens which I had done that often not realizing that the list goes way beyond cabbage and broccoli to many of the herbs, spices I love. Along with the reccomendation of no gluten, no dairy, no night shade vegetables, no grains, no legumes ...What else is left?
I had been high protein low carb eating lots of goitrogens that inhibit our own thyroid from uptake of iodine. I have tried KETOGENIC diet as well.
Now I am shifting to mostly fruit diet except for peaches,pears and strawberries because they are on the low end of goitrogen list.
Has anyone else had similar struggles ?
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Cmorales
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Welcome to our forum CwarpedM I am hypo and others who have hashi's will respond.
I will give you some links which may be helpful.
It has been found that people with hashimoto's (Autoimmune Thyroid Disease) have the commonest thyroid gland dysfunction and that going gluten-free is very helpful in reducing the antibodies which are causing the attack on the thyroid gland until the person is, finally, hypothyroid.
Do you have the results of your latest blood tests? If so can you post them onto a new question if you don't have them to hand, or get new tests:-
Do you take your thyroid hormones on an empty stomach with one glass of water and wait about an hour before eating (food interferes with the uptake).
A blood test should be at the earliest and fast although you can drink water. 24 hours should elapse between your last dose of thyroid hormones and the test and take them afterwards. Always get a print-out with the ranges for your own records and you can also post on a new question if you have a query.
I have Hashimoto's as well. I too had a similar knee problem. My knee got so bad I had to fold my leg with my hands just to get into the driver's seat of my car. It got very bad, and I was thinking about going to a specialist. I had thought that it was due to the years of abuse of running, spinning, etcetera. I also thought maybe it developed from my high mercury levels or is was yet another symptom of Hashimoto's maybe arthritis ?
I cannot convert T4 to T3 so naural thyroid medicine did not work. I am on T3 only...however after removing the mercury from my body and transiting to T3 only...my knee problem has completely dissapeared. At the time of the knee pain, I wasn't even exercising...so I could not understand the knee pain. I could barely walk up the stairs !
I am exercising now...and I have absolutely no knee pain whatsoever. It has completely vanished !!
I forgot to mention I tried everything. Like you, I avoiding goitrogens, dairy etcetera. I even startef using a knee brace or bandage. Unfortunately, nothing worked. But, I know now Zeolite helped me detox proven by blood tests and T3 only treatment made a huge difference for me personally.
I dont have RA thankfully. I have years of woking a physical job USPS.. Mine is OA. In my left knee only.symptoms wax and wane, since I starrted this mostly fruit regiment i have had less pain. I am not sure that is why.
Cwarped, I have a great deal of pain in joints head to toe..I have Rheumatoid Arthrtitis as well as Hypothyroidism. All this is related to inflammation and stress U believe, You sound like you have a good doctor. Definitely no gluten and I am dairy free too...as well as no night shade and also not many fruits ..especially strawberries and tomatoes. You are far ahead of most people on refining your foods list...well done!! I too struggle terribly with the weight gain. Would it be possible to find out what city and state you are in and send me a private message as to what doctor you go to. I am American, but am living in the UK. Thank you so much.
Cwarped, if you are on full thyroid hormone replacement, goitrogens do not apply to you. Not only that, but not all goitrogens affect all hypos. Same goes for all those other nutritional restrictions. You are probably suffering from mal-nutrition by now!
The best thing to do is an elimination diet. Remove all these possible triggers from your diet for a while - sounds like you've already done that! - then reintroduce them one at a time, and see if you have any reaction. If you don't, then carry on eating them. You do not need to cut out entire food groups like that, just the individual elements that affect you.
At the same time, you have probably built up a lot of nutritional deficiencies by now. Being hypo is bad enough when it comes to absorption, but if you're not even going to eat the necessary foods, it's going to be much worse. So, you need to get tested for
vit D
vit B12
folate
ferritin
These all need to be optimal - not just 'in range' - for you body to be able to use the hormone you are giving it. This is something that doctors have no idea about! When you get the results, post them here - with the ranges - and members will be able to advise about supplementing.
There are some things you can safely take without testing : vit C, magnesium, zinc, selenium.
Vit C helps with absorption of nutrients - and your thyroid hormone. It also helps a lot of other things, like inflammation. You can take quite high doses with no ill effect, except perhaps, a running tummy. Take to gut tolerance - I take 4000 a day. Try and take some just before bed. That's when it's most effective.
Magnesium and zinc, most people are deficient in because the soil is depleted, and we no-longer have high enough levels in our veggies - you aren't eating much in the way of veggies, anyway! They are both necessary for absorption and conversion of thyroid hormones. I also had this terrible knee pain you talk about - I could hardly walk, and the pain kept me awake at night. I also had pain in all my muscles. Magnesium and zinc got rid of all that, almost over-night. I had been taking a minimum of 4 ibuprofen daily, and was able to give it up entirely once I started taking zinc.
Selenium will help with lowering your antibodies and lessening the hypo/hyper swings. It is also necessary for conversion.
But, a word of warning. Do not start taking them all at once. One at a time, leaving a two week gap in between each one. That way, if anything disagrees with you, you will know what it is.
Yes very similar struggles and now like you have discovered I'm Hashimotos so am struggling with being a foodie and the new diet! Have to say it's helped lots. I'm feeling so much better on NDT, Vit D, B12 and the new diet.
Look at Alaena Habers website grazedandenthused.com
And also the Paleomom website by Sarah Ballantyne
They have a joint cookbook also called the healing kitchen.
You need to eat more than fruit! It's so important to get the right balance of nutrients and fats to feel healthy.
I too was on diclofenic for years (now banned) as raises blood pressure. I also had regular steroids into my spine so I guess that wasn't helpful either.
Still we are in the right track now, happy healing!
Yes, I am having similar problems. Watch Dr Berg on You Tube for some answers. I'm currently taking his bile pill, and I think it's helping. My husband has Sinvisk injections in his knee every 6 months because he doesn't have cartilage in his knee and it seems to be working. So far he hasn't had to have knee replacement surgery. To loose weight you have to clean out your liver. Dr Berg does this by eating lots of greens and only about 3 oz of meat per meal.
I have eaten lots of greens, i am shifting to local fruit in season and seafood and beans, pre soaked of course. There is some health reason as to why beans must be soaked almost to sprouting point.
I've stolen some passages from various people which I found interesting!
Autoimmune disease is caused by the immune system losing the ability to differentiate proteins belonging to your own body with proteins belonging to a foreign invader (like a bacteria, virus or parasite). What causes symptoms is the build up of damage to cells, tissues and/or organs in the body–damage caused by your own immune system attacking those cells. Which proteins/cells are attacked is what separates once disease from another. In Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, the thyroid gland is attacked. In Rheumatoid Arthritis, the tissues of your joints are attacked. In psoriasis, proteins within the layers of cells that make up your skin are attacked. However, the root cause is the same.
One of the most important contributors to autoimmune disease is nutrient deficiency.
Goitogens, although read further as to whether you want to avoid them.
-Broccoli
-Brussels sprouts
-Cabbage
-Cauliflower
-Collard greens
-Flax seed
-Kale
-Mustard greens
-Pears
-Peaches
-Pine nuts
-Peanuts
-Radishes
-Rutabega
-Soy
-Spinach
-Strawberries
-Sweet potatoes
-Turnips
Why would anyone avoid goitrogens?
It is a myth passed around in the alternative health community that goitrogens cause a goiter, which is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. As Dr. Kharrazian points out in his most recent article, goiters are not caused by iodine deficiency or by eating goitrogens — they are caused by the inflammation from chronic autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s). In order to get rid of a goiter, a person needs to address the autoimmune thyroid disease, not remove goitrogens from their diet.
Why you should include goitrogens in your diet?
Some of the vegetables that are classified as goitrogens also happen to be very nutritious foods and have qualities that would make us want to go out of our way to include them in our diets. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and kale are known for their anti-cancer and antioxidant properties. Root vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, and rutabaga provide a rich source of complex carbohydrate, which can be difficult to obtain on a grain-free diet. Cruciferous vegetables as well as sweet potatoes and strawberries contain carotenoids, which are precursors to vitamin A. In addition, a lot of the fruits and vegetables on this list are a good source of the B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and sulfur. By avoiding these foods, you may be setting yourself up for nutritional deficiencies.
Sarah Ballantyne over at The Paleo Mom has written a fantastic article on her blog about this topic, and her research indicates that consuming these foods in moderate quantities actually supports thyroid function. Sarah advises that as thyroid patients, we should make sure we are sufficient in zinc, iodine, and selenium, which is great advice (although iodine supplementation can be problematic – Try one at a time.
I've heard legumes should be avoided though.
Grass fed meat is good.Fish is good.
No potato, onion so I've heard and I bloat when I eat them.
Fruit mostly good.
Rice ok.
Please eat more than fruit, I think you'll feel better.
I am eating all kinds of local fruits and beans and seafood and a little dairy. Dairy is the hardest for me to give up. But back off gluten a few days and I feel better already. I will eat non goitrogen veggies.. I have to try something else or give up. I considere bariatric surgery. My Dr said it wont work if i dont get antibodies under control.
Yes I'm so much better off gluton and most dairy I'm afraid! I substitute almond milk for cows, love it. Only eat cottage cheese. That was hard but better for it and losing weight.
Glad you're feeling a bit better. gluton free is a must and you'll have less inflammation.
i am usa too hence when you have this ailment you will go to the mountains looking for support and wisdom.......have you tried taking bc95 tumeric...it is natural and helps with pain...also health and wisdom magnesium oil you rub directly on the area in pain is awesome and also good for you....takes very little and you can buy both at amazon or health food stores....
also had he checked your vit d3 hence when mine was low, had more aches ..weird but just saying. taking b12 again also helped with weird pain....
do you ever get a itchy or tingle on your scalp after washing hair etc....or have any other symptoms and have you ever been to a bio identical dr in jacksonvilleor nature path dr...my ferritin was low normal 51 so i was hoping taking iron may help but one lady told me that amino acids, omega 3s, c, d ,b12 , and thyroid all had be balance and upper ranges and ....amino acids i have not tried....and thinking of adding msm...i added biotin and biosil lately withe the evening primrose oil, flaxseed oil , vit e, and saw palmetto.....so i get your frustration....completely
I believe my Dr is considered bioidenticle. There is a compounding pharmacy there. I dont use his compound for armour and t3 anymore because it is too expensive even on a disount plan I still pay for. I send all I can to CVS. I still have to get testosterone trioche from his pharmacy and 4 mg naltrexone helps Hashi patients, something to do with the brain I am not clear on how. Natrexone is given in 50 mg to patirnts coming off opiiates. I am not on opiates. Its a 4mg dose for some AI reason.
I am feeling as if maybe my switch to high fruit, fresh seafood and beans, little dairy, zero Gluten may help me. I am feeling better in just a few days of it. Less knee pain as well. Maybe the fruit sugar has me zoomng.
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